Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk for suicide prevention kicks off from Intrepid Museum

NEW YORK — Hundreds of individuals are collaborating in an in a single day stroll in Manhattan in the struggle towards suicide.

The Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk kicked off from the Intrepid Museum on the West Side on Saturday night time.

As CBS2’s Vanessa Murdock studies, the stroll takes place in a single night time with one aim — cease suicide.

The trigger is particularly necessary for CBS2’s Cindy Hsu.

“I attempted suicide seven years ago, and there are so many people who are suffering from mental illness in silence, and so we need to talk about depression and bipolar and everything else and just normalize it because we’re not alone,” Hsu stated.

Saturday night time’s stroll was a testomony to that. Hsu together with 1,800 others whose lives have been affected by suicide walked 18 miles. Some wore t-shirts to recollect these lost. Many wore honor bead symbolizing why they stroll.

Hsu was the honor bead ceremony speaker and took part in the stroll, carrying inexperienced beads to represent a personal wrestle.

“My godbrother and I lost somebody that I love,” stated Roland Brown, of Cambria Heights.

He additionally wears a everlasting reminder of his godbrother, Matthew Goldbourne — a tattoo.

“It says ‘love’ and then upside down it says ‘pain’ and that’s for him,” Brown stated.

“This is for a brother, my brother Jonathan,” stated a participant named Ben.

Ten years in the past, Ben lost his brother to suicide. Saturday marks his second Out of the Darkness Walk, and he says his group raised greater than $35,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“This foundation supports so many survivors of suicide,” Ben stated.

“Our mission is to save lives and really bring hope to those who have been affected by suicide,” stated Bob Gebbia, CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Nicole Ryan, collaborating in her tenth stroll, shares she lost a good friend to suicide and he or she too struggles. For her, this stroll is every thing.

“There’s no stigma. You might feel alone on your darkest days, but you’re surrounded by people that relate,” she stated.

Before the stroll, Hsu took the stage to introduce others strolling, together with Yoni Samuel Seigel and his spouse, Meg, who had been carrying silver beads for their son Noah, who died by suicide in November whereas serving in the Army.

Seigel and his spouse had been additionally strolling to extend consciousness of the troubling rate of suicide amongst energetic navy members.

Hsu additionally shared extra of her personal story.

“I was suffering from depression and I got the warped idea that my family would be better off without me. Of course, that wasn’t true and fortunately, I lived,” she stated.

This stroll out of the darkness is a reminder to all there may be hope, there may be assist, and as Hsu stated, you aren’t alone.

This year’s Out of the Darkness Walk will increase greater than $2.5 million for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. The money will get invested in analysis, training, advocacy and assist.

CBS2 is a proud sponsor of the stroll.

If you or somebody you already know wants assist, name the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You also can textual content the phrase “TALK” to 741-741.